Larger Waistlines May Increase Colon Cancer Risk

Susan Farley

Published Online: Friday, September 1, 2006

Follow Pharmacy_Times:

A large European study of men's and
women's waistlines showed that those
with more abdominal fat were more
likely to develop colon cancer. The
nutrition and cancer study assessed
risk among 368,277 men and women
by recording body measurements and
obtaining information on participants'
diet, exercise, and lifestyles. In the 6
years following, researchers determined
that men with the largest waistlines
were 39% more likely to be diagnosed
with colon cancer than the slimmer
men in the study. Women with the
most abdominal fat were 48% more
likely to develop colon cancer than
those women with smaller waists. High
body mass index measurements increased
risk of colon cancer in men
only. Researchers hypothesized that
this was due to weight distribution
heavier men tend to carry weight
around their mid-sections, and heavier
women tend to carry weight in their
hips and thighs. Researchers also suggest
that abdominal fat, which is more
"metabolically active," is influential in
colon cancer risk because it raises certain
hormones that affect the growth of
cancer cells. These findings, which
appeared in a recent issue of the
Journal of the National Cancer Institute,
stress the importance of preventing
abdominal obesity.